Marvel’s ‘The Avengers’ officially hits $600 million at domestic box office

Marvel’s The Avengers just became the third film in Hollywood history to reach $600 million at the domestic box office.

Disney announced the feat on Tuesday, reports Entertainment Weekly, noting that the film also became the fastest in history to cross the $200 million, $300 million, $400 million and $500 million marks.

It is still unknown just how far the Joss Whedon-directed superhero epic can go by the end of its theatrical run. Although it has been in theaters since May 4, it still made another $7.2 million this weekend, just a 19 percent drop from the week before. Although The Amazing Spider-Man, another Marvel property, hits theaters on July 3, it is expected that the July 4 holiday could give The Avengers another boost.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film has actually been the No. 3 top-grossing film in the U.S. of all time for several weeks, since it passed The Dark Knight’s $533 million total.

The Avengers could have had a shot at passing James Cameron’s Titanic’s original $600.8 million mark, had the film not been re-released in 3D earlier this year. The 1998 blockbuster climbed to $658.7 million domestically because of the 3D version. "It does seem like a fortunate coincidence that this year was the 100th anniversary of the Titanic sinking...Well played, Cameron,” Exhibitor Relations box-office analyst Jeff Bock told E! News.

The top-grossing film of all time in the U.S. remains Cameron’s Avatar, which finished with $760.5 million.

However, Box Office Mojo notes that there have actually been 27 movies to reach $600 million in the U.S., if you make adjustments for inflation. For example, Gone With The Wind made $198.6 million in 1939, but in 2012 dollars, that equals $1.6 billion in the U.S. alone.

Worldwide, The Avengers is also the No. 3 top-grossing film of all time, reaching $1.44 billion.

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